Niall Matter, born on October 20, 1980, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is a Canadian-American actor renowned for his captivating performances in television and film.
Raised on his parents’ dairy farm, Matter’s early life was far from the glitz of Hollywood.
Of Irish and Russian descent, he grew up in a family with a strong work ethic, shaped by his parents, Arthur and Jennifer Matter.
A third-generation oil rigger, Matter spent much of his youth working on oil rigs in Northern Alberta, a career path that nearly defined his life until a dramatic turn of events led him to acting.
Now a familiar face on the Hallmark Channel, Matter resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sara Bradley Matter, whom he married in July 2016 in a private ceremony in Kauai, Hawaii.
Siblings
Niall has one known sibling, a brother named Trevor Matter, with whom he shared his formative years on the family farm.
Details about Trevor remain scarce, as Niall tends to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.
Career
Initially following in his family’s footsteps as an oil rigger, Matter’s life took a pivotal turn at age 25 when he suffered a near-fatal accident on a 17-ton drilling rig.
The incident, which crushed his femur and nearly cost him his right leg, required six months of rehabilitation to regain the ability to walk.
This brush with disaster prompted Matter to reevaluate his path, leading him to Vancouver to pursue acting after attending Vancouver Film School.
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His career began in 2007 with a lead role as Trent Hamilton, a cocaine-addicted bartender, in the Canadian teen drama The Best Years.
That same year, he landed the recurring role of Zane Donovan, a charming bad-boy genius, in the Syfy series Eureka, eventually becoming a main cast member from season three until the show’s end in 2012.
Matter’s versatility shone through as he ventured beyond science fiction.
In 2009, he appeared in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen as Mothman, a minor but memorable role, and later starred as Evan Cross in the short-lived 2012 series Primeval: New World.
His career trajectory shifted toward television movies, particularly with the Hallmark Channel, where he has become a staple since 2016.
With over 25 Hallmark projects, including fan favorites like Christmas at Dollywood (2019), Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater (2020), and Holiday Hotline (2023), Matter has solidified his status as a leading man in romantic and family-oriented storytelling.
He also portrayed Nick Miller in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries series alongside Candace Cameron Bure.
Accolades
In 2013, Matter won the Constellation Award for Best Male Performance in a Sci-Fi Television Episode for his role in the Primeval: New World episode “Truth,” highlighting his ability to deliver compelling performances in the science fiction genre.
His work with Hallmark brought further acclaim when, in 2019, he received the Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Television Movie for Frozen in Love (2018), a romantic drama where he played a reformed hockey player.
This award, celebrated in his home province of British Columbia, underscored his growing prominence in the television movie landscape.